“Customers have to be confident that their business solutions are meeting their high-level security features and privacy needs. The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Trust Center ensures transparency in how we operate Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online and handle these critical customer needs,” said Dennis Michalis, general manager, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft Corp. “Our customers need business solutions they can depend on, and the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Trust Center helps remove some of the anxiety they may have as they consider going to the cloud.”

Gartner Inc. in the research report “Look Before You Leap Into Cloud Computing,” published May 25, 2012, predicts that “by year-end 2016, more than 50 percent of Global 1000 companies will have stored customer-sensitive data in the public cloud.” And it adds, “many enterprises are reaping great benefits from cloud computing, primarily in added business agility and cost savings .… However, as with any significant new form of technology, many eager new customers rush to take advantage of it before all the risks and risk mitigations have been fully explored.”

“Enterprises should ensure that potential cloud service providers are trustworthy in areas of security, privacy and operational characteristics,” said Gene Phifer, vice president distinguished analyst, Gartner. “Enterprises should perform due diligence on potential cloud service providers through the use of emerging cloud standards, certifications, cloud services brokers, questionnaires and interviews, and by generally ‘doing your homework.’ Transparency in a cloud vendor is key and security should be as big of a concern with online deployments as with on-premises deployments.”

Microsoft Dynamics solutions empower your people to be more productive and your systems to last longer and scale as your business grows, while enabling you to derive the insights necessary to respond quickly in an ever-changing world of business.

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